hypolitus

4. Ssp. hypolitus (Cramer, 1775)¹⁾ [♂, ♀]

= panthous (Linnaeus, 1764)⁷⁾ [♀] (India (sic ))

(Distribution) [Map 74]

INDONESIA [Malulu] Buru Is., Seram Is. (Kamarian, Wahai, Manusela Mts., Yaputih), Ambon Is., Haruku Is., Saparua Is.

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

It is one of the oldest known of the few species of birdwing butterflies, and thus has been given numerous scientific names. The species was first described by Linnaeus (1764). He incorrectly described the two ♀♀ of the different species as ♂ and ♀ of the same species Panthous. Namely, the ♀ of Hypolitus is the ♂ of Panthous and the ♀ of Priamus is the ♀ of Panthous.

The now officially used designation of Hypolitus by Cramer (1775) was probably based on the figure of Seba (1765). This is because Seba did not depict the wing veins and spots very accurately, and Cramer’s figure has the same errors. This means that Cramer seems to have copied Seba’s drawing as is. Two years later, Fabricius (1777) also named Remus based on Seba’s drawing. The species name hypolitus is a reference to Hippolytos, the son of Theseus and Hippolyte (Greek mythology).

(Characteristics)

The largest subspecies, which can be easily distinguished from other subspecies by the following points.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: The presence of a distinct white stripe on the subcostal space on HW underside.

♀: On the HW, discal spots (=pale band) on spaces 2 and 3 do not reach the cell, but the yellow color extends to the discal spot of space 2. White cell-spot is absent.